That's a great question.
The three major systems that are affected by this—CPP, EI and OAS—are of varying ages, from over 60 years old to just a little over 25 years old. These are legacy systems. Some of the systems that are running these programs are very hard to get developers for. COBOL is a language that was created in the fifties. EI has 160 bespoke applications that all have to be maintained in a cumbersome way.
Over time, it really starts to restrict the kind of policy that we can implement and it makes it a lot more complicated. Also, a lot of the technology and the technical debt associated with these projects are just no longer serviceable. There are mainframes that would be literally irreplaceable if something were to go wrong.
One aspect is that we are replacing the system and we'll have the assurance that $1.5 trillion in benefits that will be paid over the next decade will get to the people who need it.
From a transformational perspective, the ability to have user-centred design, have people able to go into an app to apply for EI, to check on the status of their services and to have another channel that provides service instantly—24 hours a day, seven days a week—is all empowered by this new service.